The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-02-26
by.the-wa1. it was difficult to tell which

by-thc-wa7, It was difficult to tell which
was the right end of her, unless she wa.
running, and then you only knew be
cause you were certain that she would
never run backwards. She was such
shapeless little lump of caninenity, that
you were liable, at times, to take her
for any thing huffy--a mop, door mat,
n muff bundle Of rags, an old bonnet,
any thing.
AS long as F'idget was with us we al.
ways knew what our ncighbors had for
dinner on the previous day. She used
to scour the adjoining back yards and
gardens. and bring home all the loose
bones that might be lying round, and
deposit them on the mat outside our
front door. One day found there the
whole skeleton of turkey, two chop
bones and a shin of beef, besides frag-
ments of dried toast, buckwhcat cakes,
corn mullins and cold potatoes. 1t was
the holiday season and the folks had
evidently been living well in my Sec
ton, and Fidget had been Industrious.
| well remember her short bark of de-
light when opened the door, and she
directed one end of her body towards
me, which knew to be her bow, so to
speak, from two little, glistening,
brown dots hidden under a tangle of
long hair, which l recognized as her
eyes, and another little black dot be-
tween them, which represented her
nose. remember, too, the indescriba-
BILE wiggle of her whole body, which
passed with her for tail wagging, and
the extraordinary cyclone of gyrations,
till she gyrated herself off the top of the
stoop, and with yelp at each bump,
landed sober. but serene. at the bottom.
When Fidget was not foraging round
in the neighbors' yards, she frequently
entertained her friends on the front
stoop-all the ragtag and bobtal kiyus.
as well as the aristocratic settlers and
Newfoundlands. in the neighborhood.
One day was disturbed by a furious
barking and general commotion in front
of the house, and, on going to the door,
discovered our rector's wife kept at bay
at the front gate by a strange pack of
hounds, comprising spotted coach dog,
u spitz, a black, shaggy beast of some
unknown variety, and small ''yaller'
dog, all friends of Fidget. The poor
lady, found. had q peculiar dread of
dogs, so her feelings may be imagined,
but my rage and Indignation can not.
To think of my visitors, and the minis
ter's wife at that, being driven from the
door by ragamuflin volunteer guard
of strangers. o, it was too much! I
prove the guard away, punished Fidget,
and apologized to the lady.
My children had a little wagon to
which they harnessed Fidget. By pa.
tient training they managed to rur
their them round the garden sometimes
without accident. Grown confident
with this success, ambition soon fol
lowed. and they longed for wider fielt
of action. One day my wife sent then
to the grocery at the corner of thu
street, about a hundred and fifty yards
off, to make few purchases. The,
harnessed Fidget to the wagon, ant
trotted down to the store in style ant
safety. In about fifteen minutes the,
returned, my son carrying Fidget ant
, the shattered wagon in his arms, ant
!, my little daughter, with her apron ant
, little hand piled up with burst ant
broken packages of groceries. Tha
! was the last time Fidget was used TO
:. the express business. They had loade'
, up the wagon, Fidget had seen frien'
across the street, and there was an enc
j.. of it.
l afterward removed to the villag
: hotel, where Fidget's habit of invitin!
- her friends into the premises causet
. !; the landlord some annoyance. On
: day she disappeared, and 1 never sa,
her again. sadly fear there was fou
play somewhere-kidnaping, or pei
= haps worse. Poor little Fidget! she wa
the last dog that ever owned me-
Frank Belle,0, in Golden Days.